Rating: 
Summary: Now We're Getting Somewhere
Review: At last, here is a book on FCE that gets you up and running with tutorial materials and an instructor who really knows his stuff. Tom Wolsky is a long time veteran in film and video production (nearly 40 years), brings years of experience working for ABC news into his current profession as a Final Cut teacher at Stanford University, and has established a solid curriculum with his titles on Final Cut Pro which in turn have been distilled into the first real title which sits one down and TEACHES Final Cut Express.With the help of tutorial materials on the supplied disc (which you need a DVD rom to access, by the way), you are given sample clips to import, slice, dice, edit and organize into full blown projects as Mr. Wolsky leads you through 11 fast-paced yet comprehensive lessons in video production. I had previously purchased the Visual Quickstart and Dummies books for FCE, both of which explained in their way what the program could do, but don't really teach it. I felt like I understood more about it in the first three chapter/lessons in this title than in both of those other books combined. That's what I get for being impatient. Also on the DVD is an in-depth look at working in Final Cut vs. iMovie, which made me glad I didn't get too used the lesser program; as Wolsky puts it, it's like the difference between an automatic and a stick shift car, with the added benefit of Final Cut's non-destructive process. So if you're ready to get serious with your video, and want to start learning Final Cut Express with hands-on projects that will have you actually understanding the program as you go, you can't go wrong with this title, especially at such a low price compared to other such books. Highly recommended for the serious novice videophile!
Rating:
Summary: Necessary book for someone starting to use Final Cut Express
Review: Final Cut Express is a great but challenging program. Apple provides some useful printed help with FCE 2 (as opposed to the misleading and electronic-only manual with FCE 1), but Mr Wolsky's book enabled me to explore the program's many features and develop confidence in using it.
The included DVD provides lots of hands-on material to go along with each lesson. The video material is quite charming too! There is also on the DVD a visual essay about stepping up from iMovie to Final Cut Express.
The chapters are well organized and crisply written. The sequence of chapters is logical.The book teaches how to edit and work with digital video. It also passes on a surprising amount of insight about how to think about the broader project of creating a video. I return to the book from time to time when I'm stuck and generally can find what I need.
This book is a model for what a software manual should be.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book on FCE, Without a Doubt!
Review: I bought this book recently to supplement my new G5 that was coming pre-loaded with Final Cut Express. I did a lot of homework, reading reviews, looking at discussion forums, and all the signs pointed to this book.. I have to say it lived up to its reputation - it is clear and concise, but goes pretty deep into the program. Some books like this, that try to stay user friendly, often only scratch the surface of a topic. This isn't the case here, however - this book covers everything from the basic to the advanced, and all in a step-by-step fashion that is easy to comprehend.
Rating: 
Summary: How I Learned to Start Editing And Stopped Messing Around. .
Review: I loved FCE, I could scale my footage, make fancy dan transitions, amaze myself with flashing lights and technicolor. Then I bought FCE 2 Editing Workshop, heck I could do so much more, and it all sounded so easy (well easier!!) And you know what, it was. . .if I read the book properly.
It's laid out well and the writing style is clean. I really loved this book as for once I felt I had at my fingertips the resouces to make something worthwhile. There's little point in me saying this chapters great, that chapters brilliant, it's more than that. The whole is inspiring and enpowering and that was the power of this book for me. If you want to learn how to use this application for the purpose it was built you could do a whole lost worse than read this book.
Rating:
Summary: UpGrader from iMovie? You've found a Private Tutor!
Review: I made the switch from iMovie3 to FCE. I was very happy with iMovie2; but upgraded to enjoy the added features. I became very frustrated with the bugs. I now realize that I was expecting too much-my projects were becoming more complex than iMovie3 could manage. The power of FCE is far far far superior to iMovie. I realized that I had not made an "upgrade"; I had changed to a very different application. The learning curve was steep. I needed a private tutor. Once this book (with DVD / DVD ROM) had arrived, I felt like I had that private tutor AND a reference. If you're moving up to Final Cut Express: (1) order Tom Wolsky's Book, Final Cut Express Editing Workshop when you order FCE. (2) Watch the DVD where Tom tells us iMovie users what we need to know. (3) Read the first 2 lessons before you install FCE. (4) Be prepared to say, "I can't believe this Final Cut is so powerful" every time Tom teaches you something new as you go through his very well written tutorial.
Rating:
Summary: UpGrader from iMovie? You've found a Private Tutor!
Review: I made the switch from iMovie3 to FCE. I was very happy with iMovie2; but upgraded to enjoy the added features. I became very frustrated with the bugs. I now realize that I was expecting too much-my projects were becoming more complex than iMovie3 could manage. The power of FCE is far far far superior to iMovie. I realized that I had not made an "upgrade"; I had changed to a very different application. The learning curve was steep. I needed a private tutor. Once this book (with DVD / DVD ROM) had arrived, I felt like I had that private tutor AND a reference. If you're moving up to Final Cut Express: (1) order Tom Wolsky's Book, Final Cut Express Editing Workshop when you order FCE. (2) Watch the DVD where Tom tells us iMovie users what we need to know. (3) Read the first 2 lessons before you install FCE. (4) Be prepared to say, "I can't believe this Final Cut is so powerful" every time Tom teaches you something new as you go through his very well written tutorial.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a great resource!
Review: I purchased the first version of this book along with other books on FCE. I found that as I was learning the software, I kept returning to this book over and over. After the upgrade to FCE2, I hesitated to purchase the new version of the book but I realized that if I really wanted to understand the new FCE2, I had to get the new version of the book. The way the book flows makes it seem like the author is right there with you explaining each lesson. The lessons are clear but take some practice and it is easy to apply the lessons to your own work. If you want to learn FCE2, you must get Tom Wolsy's book. You can't go wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for someone moving from iMovie to Final Cut Express
Review: I'm working on my first project in FCE after making the switch from iMovie and Tom's book has been an extremely useful resource during this process. The DVD that comes with the book has a great introduction which is geared toward iMovie users, and once you dig into the book you will find that everything is explained in a way that is easy to understand. I highly recommend this book to anyone making the move from iMovie to Final Cut Express.
Rating:
Summary: Just what I needed
Review: I'm writing as someone new to Final Cut Express (and a veteran of 4 iMovie blockbusters.) After spending some frustrating time with printed out chapters from the long but not very helpful Apple supplied online manual, the light finally shone when Tom Wolsky's book arrived. He writes well and organized the rather complicated material clearly and patiently. The included DVD is a great complement to the text, providing material for practice in each chapter. It felt as though I was working alongside Mr. Wolsky. The DVD also contains helpful examples of transitions and effects. I'm still a beginner but I have completed 2 modest videos and a third is in the works. Final Cut Express Editing Workshop is just what I needed to get started with this fascinating software.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor, Poor Book on FCE2... Don't waste your money
Review: Ok, I admit.... this book looked really cool at first glance (the chapter on the Brady Bunch theme showed promise), but when I actually got into the book, it was hard to follow, and I felt the author's bias shadowed over the book. He continually made reference to things he wished they had in the software that weren't there and other opinionated things like that. I really wanted to like this book because of the little movie talking about the differences between iMovie and FCE2. That was about the only thing that was valuable in this entire book. The video footage was unbearable. I wish it could have been better!
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